Coupling.



No. 745,219. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. W. MILES.

COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1903.

' N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILMER MILES, OF LOPEZ, AIlABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NUTON L. MATHEWS, OF LOPEZ, ALABAMA.

COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,219, dated November 224, 1903 Application filed May 18,1903. Serial No. 157.681- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILMER. MILES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lopez, in the county of Bibb and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-couplers, being especially designed for use in coupling mining-cars, and has forits objects to produce a device of this character which will be simple of construction, strong and durable in operation, one in which the coupling members may be readily brought into proper coupling engagement, and one in which accidental uncoupling of the members is entirely obviated.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the novel details of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a coupler constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating the members in coupling engagement. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the male member of the coupler, provided at its rear end with an eye 2 for the reception of a link 3, carried by a clevis 4:, which latter is in practice connected by a vertical bolt 5 with the drawbar of the car.

6 indicates the female member of the coupler, provided at its inner end with an eye 7 for the reception of a link 8, carried by clevis 9, which likewise in practice is attached by a vertical bolt 10 with a car draw-bar.

The male member 1 comprisesa shank or body portion 11, provided between its ends and in advance of the eye 2 with abrupt lateral shoulders 12 and at its forward outer end with laterally and rearwardly' projecting wings 13, which conjointly constitute a coupling-head 1 f, the outer front face of whichis notched, as at 15, for the purpose which will presently appear.

The female member 6 is provided with a primary central recess 16, which receives the shank or body portion 11 of the male member and with secondary laterally and rearwardly extending recesses 17, which receive the wings 13 of the male member when the members are in coupling engagement. The recesses 16 17, which are formed in the body of the female member, are closed atthe under side of the latter by a web or wall 18, provided with an opening 19, which when the members are assembled lies beneath the coupling-head 14 and serves the function of permitting the ready escape from the memher 6 of cinders or like foreign obstructing matters which may lodge therein.

It is to be especially noted that the male memberis brought into coupling engagement with the female member by relative transverse movement of the parts and that when so engaged the shoulders 12 of the male member bear against the outer end wall ofthe female member, while at the same time the coupling-head 14 bears at points both fore and aft against the inner walls of the recess in the female member, whereby relative longitudinal movement of the coupling members is entirely obviated and the longitudinal strains are borne solely by integral interengaging portions of the members, thus producing an exceedingly strong and durable coupler of simple construction, in which the employment of a coupling-pin or other movable parts is wholly obviated.

20 indicates a horizontal reciprocating latch-bolt mounted within a socket 21, formed centrally and longitudinally of the female member in rear of the coupling-head-receiving recesses. After the coupling members have been assembled by relative transverse movement, as above described, accidental uncoupling is prevented by the bolt 20 engaging the notch 15, the bolt being automatically pressed into engagement with the notch by means of a spring 22. The bolt may be withdrawn from the notch to permit uncoupling of the members by means of a fingerpiece or other operating member 23, fixedly associated in any suitable manner with a stem 24, tapped at its lower end into and extending vertically upward from the bolt 20 through a slot 25, which permits free manipulation of the parts, as will be readily understood. Attention is here directed to the fact that when the male member is brought into coupling engagement with the female member the'bolt 20, through the action of spring 22, snaps antomatically into engagement with the notch 15, and the web or wall 18 not only serves the function of strengthening the member 6 to obviate the liability of the same'bei'ng broken by the severe strains to which the parts are in practice subjected, but subservcs the further function of a stop to prevent the male member being forced too far through the female member, thus insuring ready assemblage of the parts when coupling and accurate alinement of the notch with the bolt 20.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce a device of simple construction and one which will be efficient in operation, and in attaining these ends it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein shown and described, inasmuch as minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is-- 1. In a coupler, the combination with a male member having a shank provided with a coupling-head, of a female member recessed to receive the shank and coupling-head, said parts being brought into coupling engagement by relative transverse movement, and a latch carried by one of the members for automatically engaging the other when the members are brought to coupled position.

2. In acouplcr, the combination witha male member having a shank provided with a coupling-head, of a female member recessed to receive the shank and coupling-head, said parts beingbrought into coupling engagement by relative transverse movement and one of said members being provided with a notch, a latch carried by the other member for antomatically engaging the notch when the members are brought to coupled position, and a stop for insuring proper alinement of the latch and notch when the members are assembled.

3. In a coupler, the combination with a male member having a shank provided with a coupling-head notched upon its outer face, of a female member recessed to receive the shank and coupling-head, said parts being brought into coupling engagement by relative trans verse movement, a latch carried by the female member for automatically engaging the notch in the male member, and a strengthening-wall lying beneath the recessed portion of the female member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. WILMER MILES.

Witnesses:

Y. S. SMITT, JOHN COLLIN. 

